‘Poison Arrow’: The song Sonic Youth dedicated to Kevin Ayers
For an artist who went criminally overlooked during his heyday, the pioneering psychedelia of Kevin Ayers certainly had a lasting impact on the face of rock and roll. From his early days with Soft Machine to his wildly experimental solo career, Ayers remains an archetypal cult hero among hardcore fans of British psychedelia and the better side of progressive rock. However, the Kent-born songwriter also provided an unlikely influence on the incredible noise rock of New York heroes Sonic Youth.
Rising out of the vibrant no wave scene of the New York underground, Sonic Youth are among the greatest American rock bands of all time. For many years, they existed firmly in the underground before breaking into the mainstream in the 1990s with releases like Goo and Dirty. Though the group were relentlessly individualistic, they never passed up an opportunity to pay tribute to the artists that had influenced them.
From covering Madonna’s ‘Into the Groove’ to singing the praises of their no wave mentor Glenn Branca, Sonic Youth were always keen to espouse the joys of their musical influences. On their final studio album, 2009’s The Eternal, they dedicated the stand-out track, ‘Poison Arrow’ to the unique stylings of Kevin Ayers.
Ayers rose to prominence as a member of Soft Machine, one of the first psychedelic rock outfits to establish themselves within the United Kingdom. For many, though, it was Ayers’ illustrious solo career that was the highlight of his musical output. Records like Joy of a Toy or Whatevershebringswesing remain among the greatest examples of early progressive rock. Despite his incredible innovation and endearing personality, Ayers never reached the levels of fame experienced by his contemporaries.
His obscurity was largely by design, as Ayers was never out to make a profit or experience mainstream success. In fact, anytime he came remotely close to achieving commercial success, he would escape to the sunshine of Spain for a year or two, coming back when he had been largely forgotten about. In that sense, it should be no surprise that he found appreciation in the ranks of Sonic Youth. The band formed by Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore, and Kim Gordon certainly never chased mainstream success, content with operating in the shadows, committed to their own artistic principles.
In the press sheet which accompanied their incredible final album, the band shared that ‘Poison Arrow’ is “Dedicated to the lust groove of Kevin Ayers where thoughts of love as pretty poison rejoice in surrealist deliverance”. Which is perhaps the greatest summation of the unique sounds of Kevin Ayers. Although the song itself is classic Sonic Youth, not sharing much in common with the spaced-out psychedelia of tracks like ‘Margaret’ or ‘Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes’, the influence is clear to see.
Kevin Ayers was not the only prominent influence to feature on The Eternal, with tracks like ‘Calming the Snake’ paying tribute to the proto-punk of The MC5, as well as the acid rock of The Grateful Dead. None of the tributes seem quite as heartfelt as their description of ‘Poison Arrow’, though. Although he never publicly acknowledged the song, Ayers did live long enough to hear The Eternal, passing away peacefully years later in 2013.
